Arsenal – Granit Xhaka
When Patrick Vieira plied his trade in the Premier League, he was up there with the very best technicians, the best engines and the best tacticians of his time. His departure from the club left a gaping hole which could only be somehow accommodated by Arsene Wenger after Arsenal stopped playing the 4-4-2 system. Although the current system is not a 4-4-2, the importance of the defensive midfielder in Arsenal’s currently used 4-2-3-1 system can never be overstated.
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Xhaka is a world-class player at his position, and for the first time in years, Arsenal can claim to be able to physically battle it out with the best teams in the league. Injury to Xhaka will force Arsene Wenger to use Coquelin/Elneny in the starting XI. The pair are not without their plus points, but neither of them can match Xhaka’s skillset or consistency – Arsenal will miss their best central midfielder without the Swiss international.
Bournemouth – Jack Wilshere
As the most seasoned, quality midfielder in Bournemouth’s squad, Jack Wilshere’s fitness (or the lack of it) will determine how high Bournemouth can go in the league this season. Currently languishing at 19th place in the relegation zone with just one point off 3 games, they will need to quickly sort out how their midfield can play around the perennially injured Englishman.
The importance of Wilshere goes both ways – should Wilshere get injured or not be able to make the impact Bournemouth are looking for, it will be curtains for Wilshere from Arsenal’s future plans, as well as costing Bournemouth their Premier League status. Wilshere is the lone player in the Bournemouth squad who can raise their level significantly, should he be able to showcase his talents properly.
Burnley – Andre Gray
While Tom Heaton is making waves as a redoubtable goalkeeper playing in his first Premier League season, Burnley secured their promotion from the Championship by banking on Gray’s goals. With 23 goals in 42 appearances and a great strike partnership which he built with Welshman Sam Vokes, Gray needs to raise his level to meet the demands of the Premier League.
Strikers like Charlie Austin, Troy Deeney and Rickie Lambert have successfully made this leap in the past. Gray is at the peak of his career currently, and should he fire for Burnley consistently this season, he will be able to aid their Premier League survival on the back of a sturdy defense.
Chelsea – Eden Hazard
Under Antonio Conte, Chelsea have looked a changed team this season. They are once more looking back to their efficient best, with a stingy defense, hard-working and talented midfield and Diego Costa up front.
Last season, the Premier League player most conspicuous due to his loss of form was Hazard himself, who was unable to generate any momentum for himself throughout the season till the very end. This season, however, he seems to have hit the ground running and has already helped Chelsea to 3 important wins in 3 games.
His goal against Burnley was a warning sign for the rest of the Premier League team, as he showed his ability to dribble past opponents on the counter and score from long range. With a good run at the Euros, a good preseason and an encouraging start, Hazard has the talent and potential to propel Chelsea to the league title again this season.
Crystal Palace – Yohan Cabaye
The classy midfielder has entered his thirties now, but he remains as effective as ever for much-loved Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace as he was in his younger days. Despite not getting the chance to showcase himself at the Euros, Cabaye has the potential to help Palace beat any Premier League midfield on their best days.
The Frenchman’s partnership with Joe Ledley will be vital for Crystal Palace as they look set for another mid-table finish this season. Although they have strengthened in a number of departments with the additions of Steve Mandanda, Loic Remy and Christian Benteke to the squad, only Cabaye is of proven world-class quality and alongside the Welshman, he provides a solid centre for Palace to take on better teams on the counter.
Everton – Ross Barkley
While they have flashier players like Belgian Lukaku in strike and Barca loanee Gerard Deulofeu as an inverted winger, Barkley has been one of the most consistent performers in the league ever since he broke onto Everton’s starting XI, 3 seasons back.
With 8 goals and 8 assists in the Premier League last season, he maintained the form he showed in previous seasons and served as Everton’s attacking hub. Although Everton’s defense leaked a number of goals last season, Barkley’s individual performance levels remained high and he emerged with a good return at the end of the season.
It is finally time for him to produce a high-scoring, high-volume and productive season to earn a much-awaited transfer to the world’s best clubs, and he would do well to grab it this season.
Hull City – Robert Snodgrass
While a knee injury has prevented Snodgrass from turning in significant time with Hull, his talent has not left any doubts. Often sought by financially better-off clubs over the course of his earlier career, Snodgrass will be playing his first full season for Hull this season following a bad knee injury against QPR 2 seasons ago. In his spell with Norwich, Snodgrass acted as their attacking hub, their main creative outlet.
With a not-so-great supporting cast around him barring the on-fire Abel Hernandez, the primary creative responsibilities for Hull fall on his able shoulders for the first time. At the age of 29, Snodgrass has the ability to produce a remarkable season and lead Hull into the Premier League top 10, should the rest of the team be able to capitalize on his pinpoint crossing, dynamic link-up play, shooting and setpiece delivery.
Leicester City – Danny Drinkwater
While forwards Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy have been reinforced with good support in the form of summer signings like Ahmed Musa, Islam Slimani and Bartosz Kaputska, Leicester’s title-winning midfield lost its most key player to Chelsea in the summer. With the departure of N’Golo Kante, it is now upon Drinkwater to lead the team and raise his level in midfield to give Leicester a good run this season.
Although it will not be possible for Drinkwater to replace Kante’s near-superhuman ground covering, the Englishman is technically sound, tactically aware and occupies the right spaces for Leicester in defense. While he is great at going forward, Drinkwater’s main role will be to aid Leicester’s ball retention in attack. Should he produce another season like the last one, he will surely be rewarded by Sam Allardyce with a more permanent run in the national team setup.
Liverpool – Sadio Mane
While Daniel Sturridge’s injuries have forced Liverpool to find goals from elsewhere in the team after Luis Suarez’s departure, their attacking midfield sports a robust look this season. Sadio Mane, the new man from Southampton, has looked lively so far this season. His style of play – feinting past defenders and shooting from the edges of the box – will continue to bring him rich rewards with the Merseysiders.
Now that he has the freedom to express himself alongside other talented players, Mane has to step up and increase his productivity with Liverpool. Should he be able to do so, his steep price tag will be quickly forgotten by fans and critics alike. Currently, though, he is the most consistent member of their front 4 – Coutinho and Firmino need to dial up their performances every once in a while during the season.
Manchester City – Sergio Aguero
City has the luxury of world-class depth in almost every position on the field – barring that of the striker. Even if they did have the depth, though, replacing Sergio Aguero is a job that most forwards in the world would be utterly incapable of.
Over the last 5 seasons, whether or not Manchester City have been able to win games regularly, they’ve always been able to plunder goals due to Aguero’s extraordinary poaching abilities whenever he is fit to play. While Kevin de Bruyne’s injury last season effectively derailed City’s Premier League campaign, they will still miss Aguero more sorely because also of the lack of alternatives – Iheanacho is not a world-class striker currently. Even in Saturday’s derby, Aguero was conspicuous by his absence.
Manchester United – David de Gea
While United have made a number of high-profile signings to bolster their squad in attack – Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Henrik Mkhitaryan – their primary success driver is their stingy defense. Led by David de Gea, Manchester United retained an enviable defensive record for much of last season, barring a few high-scoring encounters.
With the signing of Eric Bailly this season, United have a big, strong, elite centre-half in front of the Spaniard, but he very much remains their most consistent performer, as well as their most important chip to retain. United has enough depth in other areas to compensate for their losses, but David de Gea belongs to the conversation of the best goalkeepers in the world, and not even Sergio Romero will be adequately able to cover his loss.
Middlesbrough – Viktor Fischer
Middlesbrough won promotion to the Premier League on the back of their stout defense, which allowed only 0.67 goals per game last season. While Premier League teams will pose immensely higher threats than Championship strugglers to their defense, they have reinforced well in this department, bringing in Calum Chambers, Victor Valdes and Brad Guzan.
Where they really need to step up their game is in attack – they scored a relatively low 1.39 goals per game last season. To that end, they will look foremost to their new signings, out of whom Viktor Fischer really stands out as the only attacking midfielder or forward with world-class potential and Champions League experience. If Fischer is able to adjust to his new surrroundings in England quickly, he can bring Middlesbrough out of the relegation struggle pretty quickly.
Southampton – Jose Fonte
While Southampton continue to excel in the Premier League despite being shorn of their best players on a summerly basis by bigger financial powers, Jose Fonte has been a figure of consistency and continuity at the club. Already aged over 30, Fonte does not have many more years at the top level, but there are few defenders in the Premier League with a stouter heart and a composed head than him.
Southampton has been able to bolster its midfield and attack with newer signings, but till the time they find a new, long-term solution for the centreback role, the pairing of Van Dyk and Fonte will have to suffice for them at the back.
Sunderland – Jermain Defoe
Sunderland pulled off yet another improbably successful relegation battle last season, staving off relegation and consigning neighbours Newcastle to yet another stint in the Championship. But they look, by far, the thinnest squad in the Premier League, having failed to spend in the summer transfer window on bettering their depth. They have a fighting team, though, and a decent squad to fight other strugglers.
Having learned his trade in the Premier League and spent his best years with a number of British clubs, Jermain Defoe now finds himself back in the league from MLS, scoring goals for the Tynesiders. He was pivotal in ensuring Sunderland’s survival in the Premier League last season, and with no new signings in attack, Sunderland will look to him as their primary goalscoring source once more.
Stoke City – Joe Allen
Although they have kicked off on the worst possible note to the season, Stoke City has rarely been involved in relegation battles on account of a robust defensive system. Under Mark Hughes, they have also been able to play a more expansive style and attract the likes of Arnautovic, Shaqiri and Wilfried Bony to the club.
Joe Allen is another new signing to have come to the club this season, and he faces the task of leading Stoke to a respectable league finish on the lines of the season gone by. By adding him, Stoke have deepened their midfield and filled an important squad need – a box-to-box player with the ability to dictate the game against better opponents. Expect Stoke to spring a surprise or two this season, once again.
Swansea City – Gylfi Sigurdsson
The Swansea squad wears a settled look these days, with a number of key players sticking around at the club and pushing for the European places each season. Having signed Fernando Llorente in strike, Swansea finally has a good striker to complement Sigurdsson and double up with him as a legitimate aerial threat in the box.
Sigurdsson is one of those less appreciated phenomenons plying their trade in the Premier League – getting outshown by better players from bigger clubs. His playmaking skills and ability to score crucial goals of every kind gives Swansea a cutting edge that no other player in their squad possesses. Which is why he has been their most important player for a while now.
Tottenham Hotspur – Harry Kane
For a team that was in contention for the title for much of the previous season, Tottenham have undergone a rather quiet transfer window and are also not being given enough credit for their 3rd-placed finish last season. With a squad to match that of the Manchester clubs and the London duo of Arsenal and Chelsea, Spurs are fully functional and raring to have another go at the Premier League title.
They relied on Harry Kane for most of their goalscoring last season, and that hasn’t changed during the transfer window with no player of comparable talent brought into the squad. Kane scored his first of the season in a 4-0 rout of Stoke on Saturday and looks primed for another purple patch this year. No other Spurs player provides the combination of intelligent linkup play, technically adept finishing and efficient off-the-ball work done by the Englishman.
Watford – Etienne Capoue
Relying on their big front 2 of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo, Watford managed a respectable 13th-place finish last season. With a respectable spread of talent in all positions across the squad (albeit the problem a leaky defense which needs to tighten up this season), they are well set for another uneventful season in the Premier League, having spent big on acquiring Roberto Pereyra from Juventus, Daryl Janmaat from Newcastle and Zuniga on loan from Napoli.
With Pereyra and Valon Behrami as his partners in central midfield, versatile Etienne Capoue will now have a little more freedom to express himself in the various roles that he repeatedly finds himself playing. Technically sound, physically a specimen and a manager’s tactical dream to have, Capoue will remain as Watford’s lynchpin this season as well.
West Bromwich Albion – Claudio Yacob
It’s been a long time coming, but finally, West Brom have shown a semblance of continuity in the Premier League with their 5th consecutive season in the division this year. With a settled backline and talented attackers like Jose Rondon and Saido Berahino present in the squad, West Brom present a tough run-in for every team in the Premier League.
The combative defensive midfielder from Argentina has stamped his authority on a talent-laden West Brom midfield in the past few seasons, establishing himself as an irreplaceable component of the Baggies’ setup. As a proactive player, Yacob provides the pivoted balance vital to any Premier League team, staying behind the line of the ball for the most part and providing necessary cover to his defenders.
West Ham United – Dimitri Payet
With Europa League football in sight, a number of reliable forward options, a reliable backline and with captain Mark Noble to steer the midfield ship, all West Ham lacked till then was the sprightly presence of a no. 10. This need was filled perfectly by mercurial Dimitri Payet, whom West Ham bought from Marseille for what is now a bargain price of around 11 million pounds.
Payet has had an exemplary year or so with the Hammers, with a few spectacular goals and assists to show for it – along with a 6th-placed finish above Liverpool in the league last season. Having played an important role in France’s Euro campaign, he has already lit up this season with a spectacular Rabona assist in a losing cause to Watford on Saturday. We can rest assured that more of the same is to come from in the games to be played later on this season.
